Clearing The Slate
Grilled International's drop to the fifth division has seen the board put into place its contingency plans, which broadly involve the flogging off of the bulk of the club's marketable stars - including marquee players such as
Hardi bin Besar,
Li Xin Chi and
Tibor Atzenhain.
"It's sad." club spokesman Mohd Rahmi Jummah recognized. "But our wage bill is unacceptable for Division Five, and to tell the truth, it's a bit pointless even if we promote back immediately, with everyone two years older and with no clear prospects for progress. It's just sensible to release the guys who might still make it elsewhere, and look to the future here."
While the details are being thrashed out at Burung, Grilled Birds and Farmer Bunnies did have the consolation of raking in some passive cash, after mostly-indifferent rebuilding campaigns. The Birds' Wee Ping Fu, who earned a national youth cap after returning for a season with Galactic Eagles CF, recorded his largest transfer fee yet: S$15.7 million from FC Bechtolsheim 09 to just-promoted Olaf-All-Stars, in an intra-Germany move. Double-winning Algerian legend Massoud Dob is also not stopping at 38 years old, as he left for Italian H.A.L side Nuepea, for another hurrah.
Farmer Bunnies saw steady progression for academy graduate Wong Han Liang too, as the 20 year-old made his third move since leaving on a free, this time for S$2.6 million from French Division Four club Saxoville, to Belgian sixth divisioners Bayern Elite. This should finally see him break into the first team proper, under head coach Wincenty Krzyżowski's tutelage.
As for the older set, former youth prodigy Ho Ah Kian - who once attracted a S$16.1 million fee from Culés, after developing with Joker 9 - has left Turkish club Alaçatıspor for Zambia Super League runners-up Zambia Warriors, for S$6.5 million, which may yet see him lift a first major trophy. As for Xue Kangfang, the Thai star wouldn't last long at flo.fc after his recent departure, and will now play for Portuguese IV.11 side Gondragões FC, after a transfer worth close to S$12 million.
